Agricultural Production Systems

OBJECTIVE: Grow Illinois agriculture by increasing efficiency, marketability, and acceptance of Illinois agriculture on the farm to meet changing world demand for food, energy, and other agricultural products through research and education.

Subobjectives

Animal Systems

A. Improve animal production technologies and processes

• Increase productivity
• Increase efficiency of production
• Examine cost-efficient production (including nutrition)
• Improve health maintenance (including disease/pest control)
• Develop innovative approaches to disease control in livestock
• Examine practices to improve animal wellbeing
• Determine the comparative advantage for livestock production
• Create tools and management practices to keep producers profitable
• Explore using by-products in livestock production

B. Increase marketability of end products through production practices

• Production of high-quality products
• Examine factors relating to consumer acceptability (i.e., taste and safety)
• Research management practices for animal welfare issues

C. Increase public and government acceptance through production practices

• Address production related environmental issues
• Develop efficient production systems that address public and regulatory concerns

Plant Systems

D. Improve plant production technologies and processes

• Increase yields
• Increase production efficiency
• Lower cost input per unit of production
• Improve disease resistance and control
• Improve stress tolerance
• Improve pest management (weed and insects)
• Improve soil quality and nutrient uptake and utilization
• Improvements in precision agriculture

E. Increase marketability of end products through production practices

• Production of high-quality products
• Examine factors relating to consumer acceptability (i.e., taste and safety)

F. Increase public and government acceptance through production practices

• Address production related environmental issues
• Develop efficient production systems that address public and regulatory concerns
  

Expanding Agricultural Markets | Rural Economic Development | Agricultural Production Systems | Human Nutrition and Food Safety | Natural Resources and Environment